Wendy Stayed
by MiaMeadows
Summary: Wendy goes back to Neverland like she always knew she should. I just wrote this in case, just in case she decided to stay.
1. Flying

**Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie is my hero. The characters are based on the 2003 film version.**

Wendy watched Peter fly away from her window and instantly knew she had just made the biggest mistake of her entire life. Of course she didn't want to grow up, of course she didn't want to get married and have children. She wanted to have fun, she wanted adventure and, most of all, she wanted Peter.

She called after him but he either didn't hear or didn't want to because she had deserted him.

**Two years later…**

Wendy was sitting on the window seat in the nursery with her head resting ever so slighting upon her hand. The wind was rippling the folds of her nightgown and twisting her hair into ribbons. She still dreamt about Peter from time to time, but she always awoke to find an empty room and a closed window. Her mother always closed and bolted the windows at night now. No exceptions. The nursery had changed a lot since Peter's last visit, there were now four beds pushed against the wall for Michael, the twins and Slightly. The other boys slept on four beds in the drawing room and poor Wendy was forced to share with Aunt Millicent who had taken over her education and her arrival into society.

John never spoke about Neverland or Tiger Lily anymore. He was terribly preoccupied with school work these days. Michael, on the other hand, Wendy had caught on several occasions sleeping a few feet above his bed, floating ever so softly on the air. Of course, as soon as she woke him he would always fall straight back down again.

The other lost boys were in varying states of confusion and remembrance; they all struggled at school and were always in trouble. Mr and Mrs Darling had endless strife trying to get them to do simple things like bathe and go to bed when they were told to and their table manners were "simply atrocious". Aunt Millicent said that she had "had it up to here" with trying to "culture" Slightly and had suggested on more than one occasion that he should be sent away to boarding school. Slightly never renounced his past and was proud to say that he had been a lost boy. The twins had no idea what was going on, most of the time, and they caused the most trouble by far. They were constantly running away and at least once a week they would be escorted back to school by a police constable. Nibs and Tootles tried their best to model themselves on John, as Mr Darling had instructed them to do so, and therefore they never mentioned Neverland either and scoffed when the other boys spoke of the myth of Peter Pan. It seemed they had begun to forget. Curly was always in trouble for creating slingshots or shooting arrows out of the nursery window at passers-by and he never forgot or doubted for a minute where he had come from. There was also an interesting phenomenon surrounding how the children were growing.

Some of the boys didn't seem to age at all, the twins, Michael, Tootles and Slightly had hardly changed since their time in Neverland, except for being a lot cleaner and smelling a lot nicer. It was as though the real world hadn't noticed they were back yet and time hadn't caught up with them as they clung on to their childhood with both hands. John, on the other hand, and Nibs seemed to have aged in fast forward, to make up for their time away, John had grown at least a foot and a half since their return and he certainly acted a lot more grown up than he ever had before. Nibs looked like a little gentleman these days and had also grown a foot taller and Tootles had finally started to grow upwards rather that sideways.

Wendy wasn't sure about how she was growing. She was able to watch the other boys with interest as they changed around her or didn't, for that matter, especially when she measured them on the nursery wall. But when it came to herself she was a little puzzled, it was true she had grown a couple of inches over the past two years but she didn't think her body was really changing as much as it ought to at her age.

She hoped beyond hope that time wouldn't catch up with her before Peter's next visit. She knew he lost track of things sometimes but she was sure that he would drop by one day thinking they had only been apart a few hours.

Wendy often snuck into the nursery at night to watch the skies in the hope of seeing that flash of gold which meant he had come back. And this was lucky because, if she hadn't, she never would have heard it and then, there would be no story.

It was a bell.

Though a bell doesn't quite cover it, it was more like a dozen tiny tinkling bells all ringing at the same time. That sound could only mean one thing. Tinker Bell. And Tinker Bell could mean only one thing. Peter. Peter Pan was back.

She was so excited she almost screamed but she stopped herself for she knew the noise would surely wake her parents. Instead she roused the boys in the nursery.

"I heard it," she said

These boys didn't need any more than that; they jumped out of their beds and tried desperately to push the window open. Wendy ran through the house to the drawing room and tried to wake the others. John rolled over and told her to leave him alone. Curly sprinted to the nursery on silent bare feet but Nibs and Tootles looked at John, they knew they were supposed to do as he did, that was what Mr Darling had told them. Wendy didn't have time to convince them so she ran back to the nursery. Tootles followed her. Nibs and John stayed.

When she reached the nursery the boys had succeeded in pushing open the window and Wendy closed the door behind her so as not to wake her parents. It wasn't until she turned to face the window again that she saw him.

"Hi Wendy," said the boy, "did you miss me?"

"Oh so much Peter," said the girl.

"Have you learnt your lesson yet? Are you ready to come back?"

"Have we ever?" yelled Slightly and the twins nodded enthusiastically.

"I only hope you haven't grown up too much to come back."

"We haven't Peter" said Curly, "look." He pointed to the wall where Wendy had measured them. Slightly, Curly, Michael and the twins' lines hadn't moved an Inch in two years. Wendy's, John's, Tootles' and Nibs' had.

"Looks to me like most of you can come back, good work men."

"What about us Peter?" asked Tootles, "We can come too can't we?"

"We'll have to let Tink be the judge of that" said Peter and at his command Tink circled the room smothering them all in golden pixie dust. Most of the boys rose into the air instantly. Wendy was only floating a couple of inches off the ground.

"Looks like I came back just in time" he said looking into her face with suspicion, "not much longer and you would be too grown up."

Tootles hadn't risen off the ground at all and his eyes were filling with tears as he tried desperately to think happy thoughts.

"Please take me back with you Peter" he pleaded.

"Sorry Tootles," he said without a hint of sympathy, "but you can't come back with us."

Tootles wept and wept, cursing Mr Darling, cursing John and cursing himself for being a fool and growing up.

"It's your own fault you know," said one of the twins, "we told you not to grow up," said the other.

The boys wasted no more time flying out the window without a backwards glance at the parents who had taken them in and the boys who had been their brothers.

Wendy once again found herself standing on the windowsill surveying the nursery and debating with herself as to whether or not she should leave. She wouldn't just be leaving her parents and Nana this time; she would be leaving John too. And her surrogate sons Nibs and Tootles.

Peter came up behind her as he had done years ago and whispered in her ear, "they would have lost you anyway Wendy, when you married or when they died, but me, I don't ever have to lose you again."

He was right, she knew he was right, her parents would have to let her go one day, but Neverland, Neverland was forever. And so was Peter.

He took her hand and they lifted into the air and with her final decision to leave she soared away at Peter's side.

Tootles went back to bed and cried himself to sleep.

John and Nibs didn't even stir.


	2. Back to Neverland

Mrs Darling woke with a start and she instantly knew something was wrong. She ran to Aunt Millicent's room and Wendy wasn't there, she ran to the drawing room and Curly was missing, then she ran to the nursery and she found four empty beds and an open window.

"George" she screamed as she ran to the window and stuck her head out into the cold night air.

George wasn't far behind her, only he had stopped in the drawing room and pulled the three remaining boys from their beds. John and Nibs hadn't the faintest idea what all the fuss was about, Tootles was still weeping.

"Where are they John?" pleaded Mr Darling, "where did they go?"

"Sir, I haven't the faintest idea what you mean," replied John.

Mrs Darling had slumped to the floor; in her hands was Michael's quilt which she had torn from his bed in her desperate search. Tootles sat beside her and placed his hand on hers.

"They've gone back," he said, "back to Neverland."

"You offend reason sir," said John, "they have merely run away again is all, I'm sure Constable Jones will bring them back in the morning."

"No John," said Mrs Darling, "they won't come back, not this time."

She wrapped her arms around Tootles and burst into tears. John, Nibs and Mr Darling weren't sure what to do and stood awkwardly together against the wall. They weren't heartless, you must understand, but the whole situation was too dreamlike to be taken seriously. They couldn't believe that their siblings would desert them for a make-believe place without even bothering to say goodbye. But there were the empty beds, and there was the open window. They were truly gone.

**Meanwhile, in the sky…**

With every mile between themselves and home the boys and Wendy became happier and happier. They felt the worries and trials of the adult world lifting off their shoulders and they could smell the freedom of Neverland ahead of them once more. This time Wendy knew for sure; there was no going back.

They didn't have to worry about cannon fire with Captain Hook gone and they sailed peacefully towards the tree house which had changed drastically since their departure. Peter had been busy taking apart the pirate ship and using the parts to upgrade his home. There was now a lookout made from the crow's nest, inside he had hung more lanterns and hammocks, and he had installed a few port holes so they could keep an eye on what was going on outside.

The boys where at home instantly and set out at once to find more appropriate clothes; nightshirts were certainly not acceptable. Wendy was a little harder to please and she surveyed the tree house with scepticism, she had noticed that her little house was no longer outside and she certainly wasn't going to sleep in a hammock. But Peter had thought of everything and had built an alcove into the tree house using part of the rear of the great ship where he had fashioned a box bed for Wendy using some crates he had found on board. She was significantly impressed.

Other things had changed too; Peter had turned one of the ship's dinghies into a sailing boat by slicing up the sails of the pirate ship and chopping up the masts.

But, not everything was peaceful and perfect. Peter explained that he wasn't the only one who had been plundering the pirate ship and he suspected that the pirates who had survived the war were regrouping and rebuilding. He had a feeling they were congregated in the Black Castle under the leadership of Smee. Also the Indians were no longer their allies and hadn't been since Peter had refused to marry their princess, though she wasn't keen on it either to be perfectly honest. The fairies were uneasy because it was rumoured that the mermaids had fled their lagoon. And that boded ill for all those in Neverland. And if that wasn't enough to deal with there was still a large chunk of dark, unexplored woods, or at least, Peter couldn't remember ever having explored them.

After a few hours, or days, or weeks, it was always difficult to tell in Neverland, the boys had almost forgotten that they had left at all. Most of them had donned animal skins once more or thrown together scraps from the clothes they had left behind to make breeches. Wendy had adopted a grey wolf cub and taken over the running of the house again. She was forever darning socks and washing handkerchiefs.

Peter didn't seem to have changed in the slightest; he looked identical to how he had when they had left two years ago and he was still just as juvenile and carefree as ever.

Wendy noticed several things about Neverland that hadn't occurred to her the last time she was there. For starters, though Peter and the lost boys didn't age at all, the animals, the pirates and the Indians did; Tiger Lilly, for example, was a young lady these days. Also she had never once had a dream when sleeping in Neverland, but she figured that was because the whole place was a dream. There is no need to dream when you're asleep if you dream when you're awake.

Mrs Darling was dreaming though, sitting in her chair by the open nursery window, it was only when she was dreaming that she could see her Wendy again. It was a miracle that she had come back the first time and now there was no chance that she would ever return. Why oh why had she not boarded up that window? A million times she had told herself she should, and now it was too late, Wendy and Michael were gone and John was a grown up. At least she had Tootles, sweet Tootles who had moved into the nursery and slept with extra blankets to keep out the cold from the open window.

Mrs Darling stirred as the cold air rushed around her ankles.

"We can't both have her lady." Peter whispered though the billowing curtains as he slid the window closed. Mrs Darling woke with a start, she saw the shut window, she saw Tootles piled under a mountain of blankets and she walked out of the nursery.


	3. New Adventures

When Peter returned he vowed to himself that he would never again leave Neverland. He had no need to anymore, he had a Wendy to tell him stories, he had his men back and he had a land of endless adventures to call home.

The boys were eager to be the first to greet him when he entered the tree house with that air of confidence he always had. Wendy was busy tending to their suppers.

"I have great news," he said, "The mermaids have told me that the Pirates have rebuilt the Jolly Rodger in the Black Castle."

The boys let out a chorus of war cries.

"So," said Peter, "tomorrow we attack!"

Hats were thrown into the air and swords were drawn. It was so good to be back.

That night after supper Wendy sat the boys down to tell them the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker. Then she tucked them into bed one by one and kissed them on the forehead.

Peter was still awake; he was sitting up in the crow's nest lookout playing his pan flute. Wendy took him up a coverlet even though it was never too cold in Neverland as long as Peter was there. She wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Can you see anything?" she asked, peering through the telescope into the trees.

"Not a thing."

Tinker Bell glared at Wendy, obviously angry that she had interrupted her one on one time with Peter, so Wendy climbed back down the tree and tucked herself into bed. No one kissed her on the forehead.

The boys were up early the next day, ready to attack the pirates in the Black Castle. They couldn't all fit in the little sail boat so Peter and Wendy flew on ahead while the rest of the boys piled into the dingy and set sail with the tide.

Wendy and Peter arrived at the Black Castle way before the others and bided their time with a little sword play, just like old times. Wendy was a little rusty, having not practised for some time, but she still had Peter disarmed a couple of times.

Some time passed before they began to wonder what had happened to their children. It occurred to Peter that he best check inside to see what the pirates were up to as well. Unfortunately, if they hadn't of been so caught up fighting with each other they would have noticed the mishmash of a ship surreptitiously sail out the back entrance and head straight towards the boys in their sail boat. They also would have paid more attention to just how much time had passed.

When Peter discovered that the ship wasn't there and Wendy noticed how low in the sky the sun was they panicked.

"Wendy, there's no ship in here."

"Peter! It's almost sunset!"

She looked out at the open sea, trying to catch a glimpse of the boys. It took every ounce of energy she had to conjure some happy thoughts and fly after Peter to rescue the lost boys.

They found an empty sail boat with no one on board except Michael's lonely teddy bear.

Wendy thought she might cry as she picked up the bear and sat down in the little boat.

"Don't worry Wendy," said Peter, in a rare sympathetic moment, "we'll get them back."

He pulled the sail around and Wendy ducked to avoid the boom.

"But we don't know which way they went," she said.

"The mermaids can tell us that," he said, looking over the edge of the little boat into the dark water below.

In moments the boat was surrounded by the mermaids, their pale faces peering up at the two lonely sailors. Wendy tried her best not to look any of them in the eye as their cold, insipid fingers curled over the rim of the boat.

Peter hissed and the mermaids dove back into the depths of the sea. He said one word.

"Hook."

And Wendy's worst fears were realised.

"But he can't be Peter, he died, the crocodile swallowed him whole."

"Did he?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember!"

"Where are they?"

"The mermaids are going to attack the Jolly Rodger, so we better get there before they do or there won't be anyone left alive on board to rescue."

Wendy's eyes filled with fear, "not the boys?"

"Not if we get a move on, where is that Tink when you need her?"

Wendy took over steering while Peter worked the sails and they headed for the pirate ship.

When they caught sight of the Jolly Rodger they could hear clashing steal and screams. It was unclear, from the distance, who was winning but Wendy knew her boys and they would never scream, ever.

By the time they pulled up alongside the ship the water was alive with movement and night was drawing in.

Wendy was up the rigging in a second, before Peter even had a chance to tie their little dingy to the Jolly Rodger to stop it from floating away. When he did get on board Wendy had already drawn her sword and was fighting off two pirates at a time yelling things like "You shall not touch one hair on my boy's head!"

But Peter wasn't interested in Wendy, or the lost boys, or the pirates, or the mermaids. There was only one thing on his mind: Hook.

But Peter was not destined to fight Hook that night, even if he was back, because the mermaids were filled with vengeance and the boys had been starved of a good fight for two years. No matter what Peter did and how long he searched he couldn't find Hook amongst all the activity.

When Wendy was sure that all the boys were alive she made quick work of gathering the brood together and shoving them into the little sail boat which she kicked off with one foot while still clinging to the ship with both hands.

"See you back home boys!" she yelled after them as they tried to manoeuvre themselves around the dinghy and work the sails.

When she climbed back up on board she saw Peter zooming around trying to find Hook, most of the pirates were infatuated by the mermaids who were grasping the ship's railings and singing a dark, poisonous song.

"Show yourself!" Peter was yelling.

"Peter!" Wendy called out to him, "we have to get home, the children can't be left alone!"

Peter glanced down at the deck. Wendy was standing with her hands on her hips. She was cold, tired and grumpy, all things he couldn't stand, but Hook was nowhere to be found so he swooped down and, clasping her hand, they took off after their family.

Once everyone was safe and tucked into their beds Wendy broached the subject with Peter.

"Do you really think Captain Hook is back?"

"That's what the mermaids told me."

"But it's impossible, unless he survived, maybe he managed to claw his way out of the beast, I mean, it did swallow him whole after all. Or perhaps, since he is a part of Neverland he is eternal, like you are."

Peter had stopped listening. He didn't often to listen when people said more than one sentence at once.

Tink chose that moment to return from her daily errands. She made a big fuss about getting into her room and shutting her curtains to avoid any prying eyes and then she made an awful lot of noise washing her face so Wendy gave up and went to bed because, when you are a child, sleep fixes everything.


	4. If You Wish It

The next day was sunny and lovely. Peter wasn't about when Wendy rose from her slumbers, but this was not unusual, he often went off in search of his own adventures. The other boys were anxious to go hunting so Wendy filled their knapsacks with snacks, patted them on the head and sent them on their way. Then she decided to tidy the house like a proper mother. However after sweeping and mopping she thought it was too nice a day not to spend it out of doors. So she filled her own knapsack with snacks and patted herself on the head and went on her own way. She wandered through the woods searching for that place where she and Peter had danced together that time. That one time oh so long ago.

She found Peter there. He was sitting in the boughs of a tree and was deep in thought.

"Peter?"

"Oh, hi Wendy."

"What are you doing?"

"Remembering."

"Oh."

She waited but he offered no more explanation than that. So, she climbed the tree.

When she reached his side he took her hand in fear.

"Wendy?" he implored, "did we not come here before?"

"Yes Peter, we danced here, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember," he snapped.

"Sorry," she said withdrawing her hand.

"Would you just, remind me every now and then, so that I know you haven't forgotten?"

"Sure," she said, "Would you maybe, would you like to, dance with me again?"

"If you wish it."

They stood up and Peter placed one hand cautiously on Wendy's waist and the other in her upturned hand. Wendy put her hand on his shoulder and they danced.

Dancing on the branch of a tree, you would think, might not be an easy enterprise but when you are Peter Pan and Wendy, well, you can do anything, because no one is there to say you can't.

A lot of things can be done if one doesn't know they can't, impossibility is something that exists only in the minds of grownups and it is one of the many curses from which Wendy was now free.

For instance, Peter and Wendy didn't even notice that they had drifted into the air until the leaves on the top of their tree began to tickle their toes. Happy thoughts are not hard to find when one is dancing in a tree.

We will leave Peter and Wendy to their dancing now and fly over to the lost boys who were busy hunting in the woods and therefore unaware that they were being watched by many sets of keen eyes.

The keen eyes belonged to the Indian tribe who were angry that the boys had been infiltrating their hunting grounds. Of course the Indians had learnt long ago that the lost boys were not to be underestimated just because they are children. For, you see, a child, is far more deadly than an adult, they have a far greater ability to cause harm. This you would see clearly if you were to peer back in through the windows of the Darling family home. But we won't do that again for it is much too sad. But I can tell you this: Tootles had not spoken a word, not one single word, except these, since they had left; "I do believe in fairies, I do, I do."

So the boys were hunting and the Indians were watching and Wendy and Peter were dancing in a tree. Curly was leading the hunting party and they had been successful so far in that they had killed several birds but nothing furry. And nothing furry meant they had nothing to take to their mother so that she could make new blankets or carpets or clothes. And that was unacceptable.

Slightly was the first to notice that something was wrong.

"Men, something is not right."

The boys were on guard immediately, their ears pricked and their eyes peeled for the slightest hint of adventure.

The Indians pounced.

Wendy and Peter had stopped dancing by now; instead they were floating on their backs in the air and Tinker Bell was whispering in Peter's ear. She was not at all pleased with the way things were going. She had conveniently forgotten about how Wendy had saved Peter's life on the Jolly Rodger that day and seemed to only remember that she had kissed him. Poor Tink. She wasn't all bad, as you know, and when she was all good she was really quite a lovely little thing. Unfortunately, with Wendy back, she was feeling more and more out of the loop. Now Wendy, she adored Tinker Bell, even though she was rude and obnoxious and wanted Peter all to herself, because Wendy understood that, with all the time in the world, there was plenty of Peter to go around. But Tink didn't have all the time in the world, because fairies don't live for very long at all, you know, especially with children these days.

But this is all getting a little too sad, so we should see how the boys are getting on. They put up a fantastic fight in the face of many a foe but they were soon chased out of the hunting grounds, battered, bruised and hungry.

"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do."

They did, however, manage to salvage some of the birds and when they did finally get back to the tree house they started to pluck out their feathers and make headdresses out of them.

When Wendy, Peter and Tinker Bell returned the house was awash with boys pretending to be Indians who had stuck feathers to their heads with tree sap.

Wendy had a terrible time trying to clean them up for their suppers but they made up for it by presenting her with their day's fodder.

"We should go sailing tomorrow," said Peter, as he watched Wendy clearing up after supper, "we need to find Hook."

"If he's even back."

"Oh, he's back alright."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen him."

"You have?"

But Peter was bored of the conversation so he left to find his best friend. But he couldn't find Tink no matter how hard he tried and she didn't answer when he called her name. He stayed out all night.

The next morning Tinker Bell was still missing and, even though the boys paired up and searched all over Neverland, but no one could find her anywhere. Peter was worried that he was starting to forget what her little face looked like and Wendy was beginning to fear the worst.

"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do."


	5. To Die Would be an Awfully Big Adventure

Three days passed and still she did not come. The boys were all melancholy, Wendy was distant, and Peter wouldn't speak a word to anyone. That's why no one heard him cry for help when he felt the pirate's arms around him because he never made a sound.

Peter was thrown onto the deck of the Jolly Rodger and he forced himself to look up into the face of his arch nemesis. Hook towered over him with his eyes, blue as forget-me-nots, glaring at the small boy at his feet. Peter stood up and looked into the face of the man who would never be at peace and he felt something he had never felt before, pity.

"Hello boy," said the man.

"Hello Hook," said the boy.

**Meanwhile, in the tree house…**

Wendy was panicking, she couldn't find Peter anywhere and it was getting cold. It was true, for the past couple of days Wendy had noticed the subtle change in the weather, but now it was really cold, and she could have sworn she was a snowflake fall. There was nothing for it, they had to find Peter, and there was only one place she could think of where he would be. The pirate ship.

So somehow, by piling on top of each other and leaving Michael's teddy bear behind they managed to all get aboard the little sail boat and even though it was slow going, with the extra weight, they managed to reach the ship before nightfall. Snow had started to fall thick and fast around them by then.

They climbed aboard the Jolly Rodger as quiet as could be; a lot of the pirates seemed to be singing which allowed for them to slip on board unnoticed. What they saw when they peered through the railings was heart-breaking.

Peter wasn't even tied up, there was no need to stop him from flying away when he was too sad to fly. He was curled up in a ball, and was trying to carve some sort of picture into the wood beneath him.

"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do."

Wendy gathered the boys to her side.

"Listen children, we have to save Peter, we have to make him happy again, if he's happy he can fly away."

"But Wendy, how can we make him fly without Tink?" asked Michael.

"Could you give him another kiss Wendy?" asked Slightly,

"Yes a kiss, a kiss would work," echoed the other boys.

"Sometimes things don't work as well the second time boys, but I will try my best," said Wendy.

They charged. The pirates were caught by surprise so the boys had the upper hand; the boys were also far better swordsmen so the pirates were sufficiently occupied. Hook's eyes were still fixed on Peter.

When Wendy leapt towards him, her sword pointed at his heart be didn't even look up but his sword flew out to block her stroke nonetheless.

But Wendy was relentless, she was furious with Hook for not being dead when by rights he really ought to be. Unfortunately Hook was not caught by surprise and he was a jolly good swordsman, despite only having one hand. Wendy was disarmed after an impressive scuffle and was thrown to Peter's side. She managed to catch a glimpse of what he was carving into the floor; it looked like a fairy with a pair of tiny wings.

"Peter," she whispered, "you have to get up, you have to fight."

"I can't."

"Yes you can!" she said and she took his face in her hands and kissed him. The boys ducked for cover with their hands over their heads.

Nothing happened.

"Ha! You see! Not even a kiss from his Wendy can fix him now!" said Hook as he jerked Peter up by his golden curls.

"Do you have any last words Pan?" asked the captain.

Wendy was weeping. The boys were frozen; terrified at what might happen next. The pirates took that as an opportunity to remove the boy's weapons and grab a hold of their little arms to stop them escaping.

"I'm so sorry Tink," said Peter.

Hook raised his arm poised for a deadly blow.

"Stop right there!"

Hook froze, his arm mid-swing. Tootles was standing on the ship's railings, he was brandishing a sword and there was something gold glinting on his shoulder.

"You will not touch him," he whispered in a voice filled with vengeance.

Peter looked up one last time and he saw something flash in front of his eyes, something gold, something that seemed to hiss in his ear, "You silly ass."

"Tink!"

In another moment Tink and Peter were spinning into the air as the captain's hook slashed the air where Peter's head had just been and he cursed the boy's name. The lost boys saw their chance and squirmed free of their captors' holds, found their weapons and clambered back into their sailing boat.

"I'm so glad you joined us," said Wendy as she rushed to Tootles' side and embraced him.

Peter and Tink had already flown off together; they seemed to have forgotten everything and everyone in the world except each other for the time being.

Wendy and Tootles flew back together and she ventured to ask him, "John and Nibs?"

But Tootles just shook his head, there were some things you just couldn't fix.

So, I guess you should know that Tootles had always been a particular favourite of Tinker Bell's; it may or may not have had something to do with the fact that he had been the one to bring down the Wendy-bird. She had heard him calling her, over and over for days and days, so she had left Neverland to find him and bring him home again. Tootles, she now knew, would never stop believing in fairies and as long as he was around, she would be ok.

Once everyone was at home and warm in their beds Peter and Wendy climbed to the crow's nest together. As Wendy sat flooded with moonlight, staring up at the stars, Peter asked her "Do you think could you give me another thimble Wendy I sort of missed the last one?"

And she did.


End file.
